What a field day for the heatA thousand people in the streetSinging songs and carrying signsMostly saying, "hooray for our side"

Friday, February 10, 2012

Linkee-poo ain't afraid of ever losing faith in you

Shimmer asks how much to (authors) write in a day. That's the result of "butt in chair" time. Really wish my life would settle down so I can do that again. Or, as I filled out a form in class last night to allow the company sponsoring the class to call me, they asked, "What's the best time to call?" I circled evening because 2016 wasn't an option. And I wrote under it, "Good luck getting a hold of me." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

David Ogilvy (seminal figure in American Advertising) with 10 tips on writing. Given my many years in-house, and dealing deeply within organizations (as phantom employee, ie. they weren't supposed to know I didn't work for the company), yes, this. Especially #4. Alas, in this day of email and IM, #10 is dead. Although, as I had to explain to a vendor, "I write an email because I know you have other clients, and it's not a 'do it now' kind of thing. I try to ask far enough in advance to give you time. When I'm on the phone with you, it means it's an emergency. Drop everything else and get what I'm asking for done." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The hidden value of editors. Or, why that self-published book is a big question mark. Basically it all boils down to the stories we tell ourselves. It's the popular myth that the writer types up all the pages, in order natch', and then sends them off, still steaming, to their publisher which promptly prints them. And Brittany Spears just up and started singing at 16 and landed a big record contract. Works well in the movies, not so much in real life. (Grokked from someone, sorry, lost the link)

"Republicans are beginning to grasp their own inadvertent complicity in Obama’s comeback. Some, of course, believe that their failure lies in having compromised too much." There's the "not clapping hard enough" crowd. "The payroll tax fight offers the first test of whether or not the new breeze of tactical realism will prevail, or be overwhelmed by countercurrents of militant obstruction." I'm laying my bets on the later. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

About Me

I am a writer of Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction. Here you can find some of my thoughts about writing, politics, society, dreams, and anything that comes into my head. Sometimes I drop a Story Bone or two. And then there is the tweeting.

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and should not be considered the opinions of my employers or clients.

Da Rules

Anything put in a post with the title "Story Bone" is up for grabs. If it sets off a story bomb in your head, go for it. I don't claim any right except to maybe write my own story based on the bone. I haven't researched the bones to make sure I'm not trodding on somebody else's toes so use at your own risk. Think of these as free ideas.

Freed Scribblings

The Company of Ravens - First Chapter This is the story that nearly killed me and forced me to start writing down these things in my head. It's still a draft. After innumeral edits this is still at the point I realized I needed more skills to tell the story, and also the point where I realized I could do this.

The Dead Are Busy Released from the trunk in celebration of the first International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, April 23, 2007.

Storming Heaven This was the first short story I wrote that I felt was ready for publication. Released from the trunk in celebration of the second International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, April 23, 2008.